Is It Worthy To Buy Organic Foods?

Organic foods are more costly compared to non-organic foods. A recent study by researchers at the University of California-Davis reported that U.S. shoppers who consistently choose healthy foods spend nearly 20 percent more on their groceries. Is it worth all the cost?

The industry of organic market began in the 1960s and '70s, when the awareness against pesticides arise. There was an increased demand for "green" products. Since then the price for organic foods are more expensive compared to the conventional foods. But the pay-off of buying organic foods are mostly to your health and fitness.

Organic foods have more nutrients in it compared to conventional foods. Research shows that people who eats organic foods had lower weights, less body fat, and stronger immune systems. By eating organic foods, you take in lesser toxins inside your body thus helping your body stay in tip-top shape.

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Herbs Can Heal Hemmorrhoids

There are several methods and ways to treat hemorrhoids, it can be through surgery or non-medicinal treatments such as Hemmorroidolysis / Galvanic Electrotheraphy, laser coagulation or enema. However, there are also natural ways of treating hemorrhoids.

Hemorrhoids are caused by constipation or diarrhea, straining during bowel movements, hypertension, obesity and excessive consumption of alcohol or caffeine. Overall, hemorrhoid is not life-threatening. Symptoms include irritation, itching, swelling, or bleeding.

One of the natural ways to treat hemorrhoid drinking chamomile tea, eating fiber-rich foods and vegetables, and using squat-toilet movements. There are also herbs such as comfrey root and white oat back that can help heal hemorrhoids.

Kal Sellers suggest to buy it in powder form and mix them with cocoa butter to a suppository. According to Kal Sellers, MH "They disinfect, purify, remove clots and regenerate and astringe the tissue to pull things back into place and make strong that which was weak.It is usually a quick remedy, but it is to be repeated until fully healed. Usually, this will be a lifetime fix if good dietary principles are followed thereafter."

He also suggests taking mized apple cider vinegar, honey and cayenne with distiled water before and during meals. This protect capillaries agains toxic damage and improves digestion.

Whether you opt to use the medical treatment or the natural way of healing hemorrhoids, it is still important to take the necessary precaution to avoid hemorrhoids. As the famous saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

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Mobile Phones and Its Risks

Mobile phones has become more of a necessity over the years. Everybody seems to own a cellphone. It has become a major tool for communication. One of the reasons why millions of people patronizes the use of mobile phone is because of its convenience and benefits mobile phone communications has to offer. Whether you are a stay-home mom, a businessman, student or an employee, mobile phones bridges the distance among our colleagues, friends or loved ones.

Since the first mobile phone has been released, there is a lot of debate about whether mobile phones poses threats to its users such as the possibility of getting cancer cells out from it.

According to an article publised by USA Today, the head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cellphone use because of the possible risk of cancer.

Up to this date, there hasn't been a published research regarding this. But even without the published data, we should start taking this seriously. Years ago, researchers had a hard time linking cigarette smoking to lung cancer. But many years later, we find out that cigarette smoking is one of the leading cause of lung cancer.
The major issue here is electromagnetic radiation, especially its possible effects on children especially for long-term use.

But this research doesn't mean we have to stop using mobile phones, however, it is better to take precautionary measures. This would include avoiding prolonged usage of mobile phones. It should also be a definite No- No for children.

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Overweight Yet Healthy

Once we see people who are overweight and are on the heavier side, we initially thought that they are sickly and unhealthy. But studies might prove this belief wrong.
You may have a well proportioned body yet may still be suffering from hypertension or diabetes. You may be weighing more than 200 pounds and still carry a normal blood pressure or blood sugar level.

According to Mary Fran Sowers, a obesity researcher from University of Michigan, "The results also show that stereotypes about body size can be misleading, and that even "less voluptuous" people can have risk factors commonly associated with obesity,"

Their results show that about 51 percent of overweight adults, or roughly 36 million people nationwide, had mostly normal levels of blood pressure, cholesterol, blood fats called triglycerides and blood sugar.

This study just shows that loosing weight makes a great impact solely for cosmetic purposes and personality development. Obesity has become more of a social stigma than a health problem.

One lesson that we can take away from this research is that, regardless of your weight of physical appearance, it is still essential that we take care of our body inside and out.

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Top 5 Calcium Sources

You don't like to drink milk? Or you can't digest properly? Here's a good news for you,there are a lot of ways for you to get enough calcium that don't come from dairy products.

Here are the Five Dairy-Free Calcium Products according to Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D.:

FIRST: The Calcium-fortified Beverages. Soymilk and orange juice are the good sources. It is important that you take time to read the label so you would know how much calcium can u get out of the product. Malate and calcium citrate are better absorbed than calcium lactate and tricalcium phospate.

SECOND: Vegetables such as Kale, spinach, and turnip greens, are few good examples of the natural sources of calcium.

THIRD: Canned Salmons with Bone. The bones of salmon fish are a very good source of calcium. You will get 18 percent of DV of calcium from 3-oz of canned salmon,including the bones.

FOURTH: Broccoli. When you eat raw, you will get 2 percent of DV of calcium from 1/2 cup percent of this vegetable.

FIFTH: Tofu. Check the package label to make sure calcium was used in its preperation. If so, 1/2 cup of firm tofu contains 20 percent of your calcium DV, but the same amount of soft tofu contains 14 percent of calcium.

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Why We Need Dietary Supplements

Nutritional or food supplements aims to supply us with vitamins and minerals needed to help keep our bodies fit. It aims to give nutrients that we miss on our diet. The food we take naturally supply us with these needed vitamins and minerals. But because of our choice of food, at times it is impossible for us to complete all the essential nutrients needed by out body.

Vegetarians is perceived to take in all-healthy foods however, they may also still be in need of Vitamin B and amino acids. And as our bodies age, we tend to need more nutrients such as Vitamins A,C, and E.

We are indeed very lucky to be in this age of time, where we can easily purchase drugs such as dietary supplement to provide us the nutrients that we need.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition, in 2002 monograph "The Benefits of Nutritional Supplements" explained that "The regular use of multivitamins and a few other nutritional supplements can measurably improve the nutritional status and lifelong health of the American public. Adoption of the concept of supplementation as a part of personal lifestyles, health care practices, and public policy would benefit individuals, would improve the health profile of the nation as a whole, and could significantly reduce health care costs."

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Significant Others and Loosing Weight

Diet and loosing weight takes a lot of focus, perseverance and determination. It takes a lot of hard work physically, mentally and emotionally. It involves one's whole being... body, mind and soul.

But aside from the internal factors that affects our level of perseverance in loosing weight, there are also external factors that equally affects us. Being overweight or obese has also become a social dilemma. It affects a person's personality and social life. And this doesn't only affect our own lives but also the people who loves us.

Our partners, or significant others play a very important role in our lives. Their opinions, actions and thoughts affects us too. That is why it is equally important for a "dieter" to gain 100% support of their partners in this journey.

Dr. Judy Paisley, Ph.D, R.D. of Ryeson University, conducted about how the partners respond to their better half who are making a dietary change. They aim to discover the "social nature of dietary change."

According to Dr. Paisley, "Significant others who demonstrated strong support for their partner's dietary change typically described their relationship as very supportive and often saw their direct participation in the change as a natural extension of their relationship."

As a loved one, partners should also participate in this change by simply showing support and care to their partners. Even as simple as being sensitive to the foods that they eat, joining their partners with their exercise or even an act of sweetness such as writing messages to boost the level of motivation of their partners to make that change.

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Transcedental Meditation Can Help Your Heart

More and more people around the world are suffering from high blood pressure or hypertension. Heart Attack and cardiovascular diseases are still one of the leading death causes around the world. That is why researchers continuously looks for new ways on how to fight this disease.

Researchers from Maharishi University of Management College of Maharishi Vedic Medicine and University of California conducted a research to study the effect of Transcedental Meditation (TM) to hypertensive patients.

National Cancer Institute defines Transcedental Meditation as "A mental technique used to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and improve quality of life. Transcendental Meditation is the registered trademark of the Maharishi Foundation Ltd. Also called TM."

Researchers found out that the hypertensive patients who does TM has reduced artery wall thickness than those who just take the medicines prescribed by their doctors. Patients who have used TM have lesser chances of having a heart attack compared to those who didn't meditate.

TM can be done for 20 minutes twice a day. TM.org defines it as " a simple, natural procedure to contact your inner reservoir of creativity, energy and intelligence on a daily basis."

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Nuts and Pregnancy

Pregnant women tend to experience food cravings especially during the first trimester of their pregnancy. But women should be very conscious of the food that they take.

A recent study shows that pregnant women who regularly take nuts may result to higher risk of having a child with asthma. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine published an article about the said study. Researchers found out that "consistent positive associations between maternal nut product consumption, such as peanut butter, during pregnancy and wheeze, dyspnea (shortness of breath), steroid use, doctor-diagnosed asthma and persistent wheeze in children from 1 to 8 years of age," said study author Saskia Willers, a doctoral candidate at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

After conducting the study, researchers found out that "the odds of developing asthma symptoms for a child whose mother ate nuts daily were 47 percent higher, according to the study."

Though doctors haven't declared a total "nut-ban" yet but its always better to take more precaution to avoid the development of this disease to your babies.

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Importance of Anti-oxidants

Our body is open to harmful bacterias, that can cause diseases to our bodies. Anti-oxidants are the natural defense of our body that help battle against that harmful particles from pollution, plastics and pesticides. These particles can cause cellular damage to our body that may lead to other degenerative illnesses.

Our body naturally produces anti-oxidants that can fight off the bad bacterias. However, we need to supply our body with foods that also produces anti-oxidants. Fresh fruits and vegetables are one of the major source. Fruits and vegetables help prevent the spread of free radicals inside our body. Regular intake of fruits and veggies can help prevent formation of cancer cells inside our body.

A recent study at Harvard University found that men who ate the most tomato based foods (rich in antioxidants) had a 35% lower risk of developing prostate cancer than those who ate the least amount of tomato based foods.

Aside from that, anti-oxidants can slow the effects of aging, and slow the loss of muscular elasticity.

So start filling up your fridge with fruits and veggies. Increase the anti-oxidants inside your body. This is an effective shield against the Big C!

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Counting the Hair Lost

Hair is said to be our crowning glory. It affects our self-confidence, self-esteem and our personality. But hair loss is one of the most common problems of middle-aged men and women.

Dermatologists says that it is normal to loose 100 hairs a day. But is it really normal?

A recent study among men ages 20-60 years old was conducted to find out the average number of hair lost in 3 consecutive days. Based on the experiment, it is normal to loose 10 hairs in younger men with a shedding range of 0 to 78 hairs. In older men the shedding range is 0 to 43 hairs. Dr. Jeffrey Miller, senior author of the study and associate professor of dermatology at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Penn advices that men who looses more than 50 hairs per day needs to consult their dermatologist.

You can conduct this experiment too. MedicineNet.com shares the procedures on how to conduct the wash test:

* Comb your hair for 60 seconds over a pillow or sheet of contrasting color before shampooing. Pull the comb from the back top of the scalp forward to the front of the scalp for 60 seconds. "That 60 seconds allows you to dislodge any of the resting hairs that are supposed to be shed," Miller said.
* Repeat the procedure before three consecutive shampooing sessions, always using the same comb.
* Count and record the number of hairs in the comb and on the pillow or sheet.
* Repeat the procedure every month and discuss results with your dermatologist.

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Symptoms of Sinusitis

Wikipedia defines sinusitis as an inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, which may or may not be as a result of infection, from bacterial, fungal, viral, allergic or autoimmune issues.

It is better to know whether its just colds or sinusitis. Everyday Health shares some tips on how to know the signs and symptoms of Sinusitis:

* Headache in the morning
* Sore throat caused by post nasal drip
* Pain in upper jaw and teeth and cheeks are tender
* Nasal congestion
* Earaches, neck pain, and deep aching at the top of your head

Sinusitis can sometimes be acute or chronic. Acute Sinusitis are treated with over the counter antibiotics and bed rest. Nasal irrigation is sometimes prescribed for chronic sinusitis. It is still best to consult your doctor at the earliest signs of sinusitis.

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Grieving Can Be Addictive

Nobody can describe the pain and heartache that an individual go through with death, divorce or break up. For most of us, it can be life shattering, seemingly endless tearful nights and complex emotions. Oftentimes, people who experiences grief puts their life into a halt. At times, almost impossible to regain life and to move on.

Scientists from UCLA suggests that "long-term or "complicated" grief activates neurons in the reward centers of the brain, possibly giving these memories addiction-like properties."

Scientists from UCLA are trying to figure out whether complicated grief had greater activity occurring in either the brain's reward network or pain network than those with noncomplicated grief. They examined the activities at the "reward section" of the brain as well as the "pain network".

Scientists find out that only individuals with complicated grief showed significant nucleus accumbens activations.

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What To Do With Bug Bites and Stings

Bee stings and bug bites can cause fear and alarm for most of us. Some even develops phobias with bee stings or bug bites. It is very important especially for parents to know when to take them seriously.

Most of the bee stings and bug bites doesn't cause serious health problems other than pain and discomfort. But we should also be informed of when to seek medical attention. Here are some tips from Kidshealth on Bug bites and stings:

Bee Stings
* Remove the bee's venom sac right away. Wash the affected area with soap and water for three times a day. Apply cold compress, you can use ice or cold damp cloth. You can take pain relievers such ibuprofen.

If the bee attacked you near the mouth, immediately seek medical attention. If you notice any of the following: large skin rash or swelling, wheezing or difficulty breathing, tightness in throat or chest, swelling of the lips, tongue, or face, dizziness or fainting, nausea or vomiting seek immediate medical help.

Spider Bites
Wash the affected area with soap and water. Apply cold compress. You can apply an antibiotic ointment to prevent infection.

If the spider is a black widow or brown recluse spider, immediately seek medical help.

It is important to be aware of the first aid techniques for bites and stings for our very own protection and safety.

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Are you eating healthy foods?

We sometimes have the wrong perception about healthy foods. Sometimes, we are influenced by the advertisements on television or magazines about the foods that we are eating. Are they really healthy foods?

Nutritionist Cynthia Sass, shares her knowledge about psuedo-healthy foods. Here are some of them:

Diet Soda
Ads tells us that diet sodas or sugar free sodas is one of the fastest way to shed off that extra pounds. But according to Dr. Sass, "For diet soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese tied to a 2 can a day habit is 57% compared to 46% for regular soda drinkers." Diet sodas can actually increase your drive to take in more sweets.

Pretzels
We think that pretzel is a healthier substitute for chips. However, pretzels are made of white flour striped of its vitamins and anti-oxidants and they are packed with carbohydrates.

Don't be fooled with the nice labels or advertisements, what seems to be healthy, might not be healthy after all.

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Big Breakfast = Loosing Weight

When we think of loosing weight, we initially think of cutting off our food intake. We think that by reducing the amount of food we take will lead us to the perfect body that we dream of.

According to MedicineNet.com, eating a 600-calorie breakfast rich in carbohydrates and protein helps dieters lose more weight long term than eating a modest breakfast.

A recent study was conducted at Virginia Commonwealth University to determine the long term effect of taking in big breakfast versus small breakfast. As a result, members of the big-breakfast group lost more than 21% of their body weight; low-carbohydrate group members lost 4.5%.

It is more likely for those who eat small breakfast to take unplanned snacks during the day versus those who take in big breakfast before lunch. To effectively shed off that extra pounds, it is important to start with a heavy breakfast daily, take protein every meal and increase fruits and vegetable intake.

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A Positive Look at Appendix

Appendix has been known to be a "useless" pouch inside our body. Studies have shown that appendix houses bad bacteria that leads to life threatening disease called "appendicitis". Doctors believe a people can live without it, without causing negative side effects to our body.

But a recent study from Duke University Medical Center postulates that the beneficial bacteria in the appendix that aid digestion can ride out a bout of diarrhea that completely evacuates the intestines and emerge afterwards to repopulate the gut. William Parker, Ph.D. believes that appendix is also a place where good bacteria dwells until they are needed.

Thorough study with appendix is indeed very difficult and expensive. Aside from humans, Rabbits are the only ones that have appendix. Parker said:“But an experiment to prove this theory would be very expensive. And in any case, why would you want to spend money to find out something that is not likely to help cure a disease?”


However, if the appendix gets inflamed, then it should still be taken out of the body. Appendicitis is life threatening. Early detection and removal of appendix is still a life-saving solution.

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Medications That Doctors Wouldn't Take

We entrust our health and our lives at our doctors. We give them our trust especially by taking the medications that they prescribe. We entrust them that with their prescriptions, our ailments would be healed or somehow be alleviated.

Morgan Lord of Men's Health, have conducted a survey among doctors. They asked a number of doctors "Which medications would you skip?". Here are the top 8 responses:

Advair
Advair is a medication used to supposedly to combat Asthma. However, studies have shown that regular intake of LABA's can increase the severity of Asthma attack. This may be due to component long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) salmeterol.

Avandia
Avandia has a component called rosiglitazone which is known to increase the probability of a heart attack. According to Lord, "Last September, a Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study found that people who took rosiglitazone for at least a year increased their risk of heart failure or a heart attack by 109 percent and 42 percent, respectively, compared with those who took other oral diabetes medications or a placebo."

Celebrex
Celebrex is known as a pain-reliever. But according to a 2005 New England Journal of Medicine study, the biggest threat is to your heart: People taking 200 mg of Celebrex twice a day more than doubled their risk of dying of cardiovascular disease. Those on 400 mg twice a day more than tripled their risk, compared with people taking a placebo.

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So before you purchase that prescriptions, check the list, and if you find one drug listed above, you might want to discuss it with your doctor. Better be safe than sorry.

Dentist Drill No More

For some of us, we may be afraid of going to the dentist particularly if we are scheduled to go through tooth drill. This has become one of the top notch reason for dental phobia and a top source of anxiety.

But a recent development in dental technology can actually lead to elimination of drilling and filling process. A preliminary study is being conducted at King's College, London. They are studying a painless process of identifying tooth decay at the earliest stages by using laser lights.

According to Frances Downey, ‘The earlier you spot decay the better as you can remineralise the area so there is no cavitation and therefore no need for a filling.’

This development is said to eliminate the painful process of drilling and filling which can lessen the percentage of patients who suffer from dental phobias.

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Physical Signs of Cancer

Everyone is afraid to have cancer. Still the best way to fight cancer is prevention. It is very important to know the signs and symptoms of cancer.

Knowing the lumps and bumps in your body can actually save you from fighting the "Big C". Here are some tips that can help you identify cancerous lumps in your body:

Breast Lumps

Regularly check your breast for any unusual lumps or bumps. Consult a doctor if:

* The lump is new or unusual
* The area feels different from surrounding tissue in that breast or your other breast
* The lump has changed (gotten bigger, firmer or more defined)

Testicular Lumps

According to sixwise.com, Men should examine their testicles for lumps at least once a month, beginning in their mid-teens. This should ideally be done after a shower or bath, as the heat from the water relaxes your scrotum, which makes it easier to find abnormalities.

Skin Bumps and Lumps

Here's what to look for:

Diameter:
A melanoma may be larger than a regular mole, or at least the size of a pencil eraser (about 1/4 inch in diameter). They may be smaller, however.

Color:
Melanomas typically have varied shades of brown, tan or black, and may later progress to red, white and blue. Normal moles are usually a single shade of brown.

Asymmetry:
Most melanomas are asymmetric (a line down the middle will not split it evenly in half).

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Everyday Aerobics Means Less Fats

Shaping your body the way you want can be difficult. It may require a person a lot of effort and strength to attain this. There are a lot of ways on how to eliminate that extra fat and have the body that you wanted. Some exercise and others try gym sessions.

Aerobics is one of the method that we can try to reduce fats. You could also just try your daily routine. A small amount of walks and different household chores would do.

A recent study days that "everyday aerobics burns your fat on your body. The more calories you burn, the less likely you are to get cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, depression, Alzheimer's disease, and even certain cancers."



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